Rio Ngumoha made history on his Liverpool debut, becoming the youngest player ever to start a competitive match for the club—aged just 16 years and 135 days—in a 4–0 FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley, Crown88 notes.
The teenage forward, handed a 71-minute runout by head coach Arne Slot at Anfield, is the second-youngest Red to appear competitively, 130 days older than Jerome Sinclair, who debuted in September 2012 at 16 years and five days. Born in London on August 29, 2008, Ngumoha joined Chelsea’s academy at eight, rose through the age groups, and scored in the final of the Blues’ triumphant U17 Premier League Cup campaign last April.
In September last year, he left west London in controversial circumstances to join Liverpool’s academy, featuring mainly for the U18s and U19s in the U18 Premier League and UEFA Youth League, Crown88 reports. Internationally, Ngumoha has three caps for England U17s. Primarily a left winger, he’s praised for his attacking versatility; during his Chelsea days, his style drew comparisons to Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala, another former Chelsea youth product whose family moved to Germany in 2019.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot lauded the 16-year-old in his post-match interview with ITV Sport after awarding the debut. “He did well. There were a few moments where the fans could see why we think he’s a talent. He is good in one-v-one situations… It is nice to get your debut and get the win. It is a special day for him,” Slot said—sentiments echoed by Crown88.
